Video Starts a few Seconds after Pressing Play - Normal?

[ozzo]

Hello Everyone,

First off I'd like to say that this may not be a problem, but perhaps the way VS was designed. So I'd like to find out if that's the issue. If not, then we can go on to fixing the problem.

I've owned X4 Pro for about a year and just now purchased X5 Pro/Ultimate. We use it for our voice over business, which on occasion needs to edit videos for very simple projects. VS seemed to fit the bill at its price point, but now I'm second guessing my decision.

The issue is the time it takes from hitting the "Play" button to the time it actually begins. I would have thought it to begin instantly. But instead it takes 2 ~ 3 seconds to start. It has been this way with both X4 and X5. Before you ask, it has been this way using the following setups:

Windows XP with both stock motherboard video and with Asus Geforce 210 (VS X4)
Windows 7 with both stock motherboard video and with newly bought MSI R6850 Cyclone 1GD5 Power Edition (both VS X4 & X5)

Types of videos used: every type of file extension I could get my hands on and every type of length (full length movies to a few second snippets)

I'm an audio guy by trade, but my best guess is that it's something in the program itself (or the way it's currently setup on my systems). For this to happen with two different operating systems and different video cards, I guess that's just the way the program works? Or I need to tick a small check box somewhere that's causing this issue?

Thanks for any help you can offer. This seems like the most basic type of problem one can have.

Glenn

[Kingston]

I have other video editors where the same thing happens, so I don't think it's a bug with VideoStudio.

[ozzo]

Thanks for that. So specifically with X4 and X5, can anyone confirm if yours starts immediately or lags for a couple seconds when pressing play?

Thank you all for the help.

Glenn

[Ken Berry]

I think it depends on what mode you are playing the video in. On my set-up (see my Profile details), when I have a project in the timeline, if I select a clip and play it in Clip mode (just below the preview window), the clip plays virtually instantly. But if, instead, I select Project mode, there is a delay of a couple of seconds. But this is understandable if you think about it, and in fact relatively rapid in all the circumstances. To play in Project mode, Video Studio has to look at the whole timeline and in effect do a temporary/virtual rendering of everything that is in the timeline -- which as you would understand can often be no mean feat, having to show a preview of not only all the video clip, but all the editing, the titles, the added music or voiceovers, transitions etc. So I too would just not worry about it too much!

[ozzo]

Thanks a lot Ken! That makes total sense to me now. I didn't realize what exactly was happening under the hood when I hit Play in Project mode.

I guess I've been 'spoiled' by using audio programs for so long. You hit Play and things start instantaneously - no matter how many tracks you have....well, within reason of course! If they don't, then a computer upgrade is in order.

Thanks again